Argument Theory and Practice

Hello Class,​I hope that each of you had a wonderful weekend, and that you are making the most of all that life has to offer you. I wanted to take a moment and commend you on your wonderful work on your first speeches. Overall, you have done a wonderful job, and it shows. I am looking forward to seeing your progression between now and your next speech.Below is the proposed agenda for the week:

Are all errors in arguments accidental? Would people ever be motivated to distort the truth deliberately, what would such distortions look like, and how could these distortions be identified and appropriately discounted?

What is the difference between a weakness in an argument and an outright mistake?

Is it possible for people of good will to disagree on an issue and produce arguments relatively free of errors and weaknesses on both sides of the issue? If so, how can these arguments be evaluated?

Monday: Finish student speeches. Overview: Today we will finish all student speeches. This is the last day that time will be given in class to make up this assignment. Outcomes: By the end of class, all students should have given their first speech, as well as written a reflection on their knowledge gained through the process. Homework: None.

Tuesday: Logical Fallacies, Top Ten assignment, and developing a hook. Overview: Students will use today’s class to begin learning about logical fallacies, as well as find examples of them in different mediums. They will also use vivid imagery and ethos, logos, and pathos to create a memorable hook. Outcomes: Students will begin learning about logical fallacies, as well as be familiar with the ten most common ones. Students will also see the editing and invention process as they use imagery to create hooks for their speeches. Homework: None.

Wednesday: Opening: A Time for Transition, group work assignment: a world of the imperfect, discussion: the underlying causes of weakness and perfection, and concluding assignment: human foibles in literature and politics. Overview: As an overview of the entire unit, students will brainstorm the ways and reasons arguments can go awry, focusing on the variety of human perfections as the primary well-spring of these problems. Students will also read, analyze, and discuss two complex philosophical texts that analyze human imperfections and their consequences, particularly on our relations to each other and to the world around us.Outcomes: Students will decide how crucial it is to evaluate arguments, especially in the spheres of self-knowledge, science and politics-the arenas of human life directly addressed by the two texts mentioned in the overview. Homework: Finish political and literature readings.

Thursday: Discussion of Alexander Pope and James Madison, group discussions on text, preparing for presentations, and begin group presentations. Overview: As an overview of the entire unit, students will brainstorm the ways and reasons arguments can go awry, focusing on the variety of human perfections as the primary well-spring of these problems. Students will also read, analyze, and discuss two complex philosophical texts that analyze human imperfections and their consequences, particularly on our relations to each other and to the world around us. Outcomes: Students will decide how crucial it is to evaluate arguments, especially in the spheres of self-knowledge, science and politics-the arenas of human life directly addressed by the two texts mentioned in the overview. Homework: None.

Friday: Opening activity: Human Nature and the Nature of Deception, concept chairs: lying is inherently morally wrong activity, main lesson: the way we lie every day, and the truth about lying. Overview: Students will explore the nature of lying in everyday life and in argumentation.Outcomes: Students will decide if (and thus when) lying is ever morally permissible. They will also distinguish between various types of lying and compare the types used in everyday life to those used within arguments. Students will then write frivolous arguments for fun incorporating these types and will read other students' arguments, functioning as unofficial "lie detectors." Finally, students will begin to explore the role of lying in political arguments by analyzing accusations made by both major political parties against each other in our own state. Homework: Lie detector assignment.​Best,Mr. Temple